Who exactly is Toro Rosso new kid Daniil Kvyat?

22 October, 2013

Daniil Kvyat is a name to note for 2014

Russian driver Daniil Kvyat will be reunited with Renault at the pinnacle of motorsport next season. A Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 runner-up and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps champion two years ago, Kvyat will drive in 2014 for Formula 1 outfit Scuderia Toro Rosso, who will be powering their cars with the Renault Power Unit Energy F1-2014.

Having impressed in karting, Daniil Kvyat moved into single-seater racing in 2010, competing in the Formula Renault 2.0 in the UK Winter Series, where he scored a pole position and two podium finishes to end the competition in fourth place.

After picking up a short-term contract with Koiranen Motorsport at the end of that year, the Russian decided to make Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 his main programme for the 2011 season, going on to finish third overall after scoring two wins and six top-three finishes. He also took second place in the North European Cup with seven wins and 13 podiums.

Daniil Kvyat in action during the Barcelona GP3 race

Sticking with the Finnish team, Kvyat was back in the World Series by Renault in 2012 and waged a thrilling title battle with Stoffel Vandoorne in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 only to lose out in a heart-stopping finale.

The Russian driver could nevertheless take consolation from the fact that he won seven races that season, more than anyone else, including a double in the opening meeting of the year. Just for good measure he won a very keenly contested Formula Renault 2.0 Alps championship.

A member of the Red Bull Junior Team since making his single-seater debut, Daniil Kvyat got his first taste of Formula 1 at last July’s Young Drivers’ Test at Silverstone. Having convinced Scuderia Toro Rosso of his abilities, he has been named by the Faenza-based outfit as one of their drivers for next year, when he will again team up with Renault in driving a car powered by the Power Unit Energy F1-2014.

Daniil Kvyat drives the Toro Rosso during the F1 Young Drivers test at Silverstone in July

The 19-year-old comes in as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, who was himself a Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 runner-up in 2008 and will be driving for Infiniti Red Bull Racing Renault next season.

The Russian is the latest F1 driver to have learned the ropes at the wheel of a Formula Renault, with nearly two-thirds of this year’s F1 field having come up through the WSR ranks. His Toro Rosso team-mate will be Jean-Eric Vergne, himself a veteran of both Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.